


Faithfully...

by midnight_star (wishful_stargazer)



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Romance, Sexy Times, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:09:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29190573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishful_stargazer/pseuds/midnight_star
Summary: When Willie and Alex finally cross the line from friends and flirting into passion and pleasure, Willie wants to let Alex know just how he feels with a very special Valentine's Day celebration. But he has a hard time coming up with the perfect idea, they get their wires crossed, and the whole thing teeters on the brink of disaster.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 112
Collections: Willex Stories! (JATP)





	1. Wheels Go Round And Round...You're On My Mind

**Author's Note:**

> This will probably be six chapters? Plan is to upload one every other day, culminating on the 13th. But we'll see how it goes and if you guys like it. This is one story I can expand or contract pretty easily.

_Highway run_

_Into the midnight sun_

_Wheels go round and round_

_You’re on my mind_

It was time and they both knew it. Willie and Alex couldn’t risk being caught together, and they’d been sitting on the sand next to the water for over an hour. Reluctantly, they both got to their feet. Instead of poofing out though, Alex leaned in to whisper a final “I’ll miss you” to Willie. Willie didn’t say it back, just lifted his glance to Alex’s and tried to tell him everything he was feeling without words.

Willie didn’t THINK Caleb knew that he was still seeing Alex, the drummer from Julie and the Phantoms that Caleb had tried (and failed) to capture for his house band. In fact, Caleb himself had barely been around since that embarrassing defeat. That didn’t mean Willie could relax though...not on behalf of himself OR his friend. The only thing more frightening than Caleb Covington making threats was Caleb Covington operating in secret. 

When Willie thought of kind, open-hearted, giving, pure, trustworthy Alex Mercer in the power of Caleb, it took everything he had not to scream. Not an in-museum tension-releasing scream, either. The sheer wrongness of Caleb even interacting with Alex made Willie furious in a way that was completely out of character. During his entire life and afterlife, Willie had been known for being even-tempered. He had feelings and plenty of them, just none that he couldn’t work out with a few tricks on his board, a few minutes of congenial company, or an occasional toke on someone’s joint.

Willie subscribed to the philosophy that life and death were both just as hard as you chose to make them...so why choose hard when you could choose easy?

Now he had the answer. Easy does not win the affections of tall blond ghost drummers with anxiety issues, perfect jaws, and cautious, heart-melting blue eyes. 

Even as Willie had that thought, those same blue eyes warmed...not to a blaze, but to the glowing coals of a well-banked fire. Just inches away, Alex’s cheeks pinkened, his pupils expanded, and he seemed to sink imperceptibly toward Willie before his eyes dropped shyly to Willie’s lips. 

Willie took that as a sign. Grabbing the hem of Alex’s torn denim jacket, he closed the small distance between them and, exhaling with a gentle sigh, captured Alex’s mouth with his. Keeping his lips relaxed, instead of deepening the kiss, he concentrated his attention on Alex’s upper lip...the one that pouted so adorably whenever the drummer got lost in thought. He gently suckled at it, tasted it’s velvety interior, lightly skimmed over its surface, teasing them both into delirium. 

He wasn’t sure at what point Alex’s lips parted...like petals opening in the sun and just as soft...only that it had happened and now Alex’s tongue was tickling the roof of his mouth, and now they were falling into each other’s bodies...all their nooks and crannies fitting as if they were designed for each other alone. 

And gentle, shy Alex Mercer was hungrily exploring under Willie’s t-shirt as they slid to their knees in the soft sand. Willie tumbled onto his back. Alex followed, and Alex’s hair brushed against Willie’s eyelids, as the late afternoon sun illuminated Alex from behind in a gorgeous, glorious silhouette of perfection. 

Neither of them should have heartbeats. Or blood flowing through their non-existent veins. And somehow none of that makes any difference in their experience: the thundering in their chests, the panting in their breathing, the exquisite tingling sensations whenever they touch. The stunned gasp from Alex as his fingertips dance across the ring in Willie’s right nipple...and Willie’s delighted chuckle at his partner’s responsiveness, his sensuality, and his flourishing desire. 

By unspoken agreement they both know that this is not the time to push each other over the peak. This is the time to yearn and hunger and tempt. As the sun sets around them, the tide begins to roll in and the oblivious lifers head home for the evening, they remain, exploring each other...sometimes fiercely, sometimes lazily, sometimes with hands, sometimes with lips or tongues, always with passion. 

Finally, as Alex twines a fistful of Willie’s hair in his left hand, gripping Willie's body to him with his right, he pulls his head back at the neck and looks Willie full in the face. “What brought that on?” he asks huskily, “and how do I bring it on some more?”

Chest to chest in the sand, hips intertwined, Willie beams down at him and runs a caressing hand down his side, trailing around to grasp Alex by the ass and shimmy their pelvises into naughty alignment. “All you ever have to do,” he whispers as Alex gasps, “is ask, hot dog.”


	2. Restless Hearts Sleep Alone Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willie and Alex head home, separately.

_Restless hearts_

_Sleep alone tonight_

_Sendin' all my love_

_Along the wire_

Alex loved his roommates (garage mates? band mates? well, mates, anyway) and would never want to be without them.

 _Except for right now._ He approached the slightly ajar door of their studio with deep misgivings. Mirrors didn’t work for any of them since they had become ghosts, but Alex didn’t need a mirror to know that four hours of making out on the beach with Willie had left him...altered. His lips felt swollen and tender, the warmth of his cheeks told him that he was unquestionably still flushing bright pink, and Willie had insisted on saying goodbye by seeking out and kissing every little bite mark that he had left on what he called Alex’s “porcelain skin.”

There were a lot of them. Not that Alex was in any position to object. Willie was taking home his own set of bruises and imprints. Alex’s treacherous mind chose that moment to replay the sensation of his tongue slipping over Willie’s nipple ring. An involuntary shiver traveled down the nape of his neck, he felt his own nipples harden and he willed the rest of him not to follow, forcing himself to take slow deep breaths.

 _Focus, Alex!_ He lectured himself. _Willie’s not the one living in a garage with two nosy bandmates one of which is his ex-boyfriend. Get control of yourself or they will know immediately._

And Alex isn’t ready for them to know...not even for Julie to know, and she won’t tease him like Luke and even Reggie will. He’s not ready for questions he doesn’t know the answers to. _Is it serious? Where is this going?_ He’s not ready to talk about how he feels. He’s certainly not ready to talk about what they’ve DONE.

Because Luke will ask. Wonderful guy, but has never met a boundary that he didn’t tromp right over, back up, and tromp over again.

 _Okay, new plan. Scope out the territory._ He crept up to the open door, and listened as hard as he could. Silence. That’s an excellent sign. It’s pretty rare for one or more of them to be in there and not be playing or listening to music (no matter what Julie says about being quiet when she’s not around.) He peeked quickly through the small square windows. The place was empty. 

Alex exhaled the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and walked into the garage. He headed toward the loft, wanting a change of clothes...preferably to something that covered his neck. _Even the loft feels so...exposed..._ he thought. _Why can’t we live somewhere with even the tiniest bit of privacy?_

Inspiration struck. He grabbed a few items from the bags in the loft and headed downstairs and into the back...where the bathroom was...with the shower.

So okay, ghost showers aren’t really a thing. Reggie had described them only as “disappointing.” But none of his friends would be seeking him out as long as he was in the shower. THAT was a boundary even Luke would pay attention to.

Unless he had a song idea, in which case all bets were off.

Alex turned on the shower, then adjusted the temperature until the bathroom started to steam up just a bit. He stripped down, noticing and savoring all the tiny aches and pains: the tight neck and shoulders from the hours of supporting himself above Willie as they kissed, the bruises scattered over his neck and torso, the scratches Willie’s fingernails had left on his back. It had been a long time since he’d felt that very special kind of soreness...the kind that comes with the aftermath. 

Suddenly he laughed, remembering a line from that 90s show Luke was so addicted to “Are you thinking it’s been so long since you’ve had sex, you’re wondering if they’ve changed it?”

 _Pretty nearly, Phoebe,_ he answered inside his head. _Pretty damn nearly._

The mirror fogged over, and Alex figured, why not give the shower thing an actual try. After all, Reggie’s last effort had been before their Orpheum performance, before they’d become so much more grounded in the solid world. 

And after their time on the beach, Alex was feeling **really** physical today. Very corporeal, mortal, carnal… you pick the word, Alex was feeling it. He envisioned his energy as kind of a web, stretched it out to mesh it with his skin, and tentatively stepped into the shower stall. 

**Into bliss.**

_Okay, wow. This is much much better than anticipated. Hmm, do I tell Reggie or keep exclusive use of the shower to myself?_ Alex grinned. _Talk about your no-brainer decisions._

He raised his face to the steamy showerhead, shutting his eyes and letting the soothing water stream over him. Willie’s face rose up behind his lids, his long black hair in coils after hours of Alex wrapping it around his fingers, his already impossibly dark eyes grown somehow even deeper and more mysterious, his smile widening as he leaned in for another kiss. Alex relived it all...the gentle bump as their noses and chins met, the feeling of his tongue tracing Willie’s teeth until it tangled with Willie’s once again. He could smell the sea air, taste the honey mango flavor of Willie’s mouth, feel Willie’s hands clutching his waist, his thighs, his backside. Drunk on the memories, Alex dizzily reached for the release that they had denied themselves at the beach...but the romantic in him stopped. 

_I don’t know what exactly, Willie feels or wants with me, but...I know what_ **_I_ ** _want. It’s him. I think it always will be. I don’t want our “first time” to be me alone in a shower. I can wait._

 _Well, at least,_ he amended ruefully and kind of laughing at himself, _I can wait for a day._

*********

Being a ghost was supposed to make things **easier.** Or at least, that was what Willie had always believed. Like, how many problems could you really have when you didn’t need to eat or sleep or work or buy things? Living people couldn’t see you, so you could push all kinds of limits and boundaries, break all the rules and never pay the penalties. Unless you were foolish enough to get tangled up with a more powerful ghost ( _you are SUCH an idiot, Willie)_ you were pretty much indestructible. You never had to worry about being safe. The biggest problem was boredom.

 _Okay, and loneliness,_ he thought, admitting in the silence of his mind what he’d never acknowledged out loud. Ghosts didn’t tend to socialize with each other very much, outside of the fake camaraderie of Caleb’s club. You were pretty much on your own, most of the time.

A younger Willie would have considered that a benefit, not a problem. Strong-willed and independent, the Willie that had been whizzing through traffic on his board until he got the worst of an encounter with a Subaru, had avoided anyone that seemed like they would be clingy and needy. 

He avoided people that seemed like they might crowd him in his afterlife, too. And he pretty much ignored that whole “unfinished business” thing. Felt way too much like someone putting expectations on him without his consent or knowledge. 

Willie didn’t want to be hemmed in. _So you let yourself get sucked into a soul contract with the only ghost you’ve ever met who could obliterate you, Nice going, Willie._

But everything changed the day he literally ran down a tall, shy ghost with hair like sunlight and eyes like the afternoon sky. He still remembered the electricity shooting through him when he pulled off his helmet and finally made direct eye contact with his “victim.” 

_Holy fuck, where did you come from?_ It was impossible that this guy could have been wandering around LA for any length of time without Willie noticing him...as a ghost OR a lifer. So he asked the first thing that came into his stunned brain:

 _“So, um, what brings you to Hollywood, man, you, uh, sightseeing?”_ And because he absolutely had to know, right now, if he had any chance with this guy, _“picture with that, uh, Marilyn girl?”_

Blondie’s eyes didn’t even flicker in Marilyn-girl’s direction. Instead, he bit his lip, made a joke about an after-life crisis and about Willie cracking his head open, and very casually scanned Willie from head to toe and back again.

_Not straight. Unfinished business be damned. I am in Heaven NOW._

_“Shouldn’t we be in Heaven, or something?”_

_CRAP. Crap. Crap. Crap. “Who’s we?”_

_“Oh, uh, me and my bandmates. We all died.”_

_“Right.” Willie was so relieved “we” didn’t include a romantic partner that it wasn’t until Alex’s nose wrinkled a bit that he realized he probably shouldn’t sound so satisfied about a mass bandicide. “Now that’s tragic, man...you guys had some kind of accident?”_

If sincerity hadn’t radiated off this guy in waves that Willie could practically see, he would have thought Alex was pulling his leg. _Death by hot dog? That’s even worse than death by ‘85 Subaru._

From their first moments, Willie knew that he liked Alex a lot. What he didn’t anticipate was that it would just keep getting more intense. By the time he took the guys to Caleb’s club _(mind-blowingly stupid, Willie!)_ he would have done anything to impress Alex. To try to give him whatever he wanted. Even a flicker of disappointment on Alex’s face was physically painful to Willie. And when he tried to end things between them for Alex’s sake, Willie almost wished Caleb WOULD erase his existence.

But the guys had played the Orpheum. More to the point, they somehow HADN’T crossed over and HAD cured Caleb’s stamp. Which meant Caleb was right to fear them. Somebody somewhere was feeding this “barely got the new death off of them yet” ghost band an incredible amount of firepower.

And with Caleb apparently in hiding, Willie and Alex had very, very cautiously started seeing each other again. 

_But now you’ve really done it. Finally make a move, and it goes better than you ever wildly imagined….but it’s RIGHT before Valentines Day. Now you have to figure out what to do for Alex. Because not having to eat or sleep or find a place to live or use money is great...right up until you realize that you desperately want to do something special for someone...but that to protect both of your lives it has to remain utterly secret, involve none of your ghost powers, and can’t possibly be anywhere in public._

_And you haven’t a clue what that could possibly be._


	3. Right Down The Line It's Been You and Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willie wrestles with Valentine's Day plans for Alex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't know if this happens to a bunch of writers or if I just lack discipline or vision, but a lot of times when I start a new story, I have an idea of whether it will be shorter or longer and how fast I will be able to finish it...
> 
> that turns out to be totally, completely wrong. 
> 
> This one, for example, is turning out longer than I expected and the words are just kind of pouring out. Even my friend that does me the kindness of brutally editing my stuff for me... has liked pretty much all of it. In fact, he's actually asked for MORE not LESS when he's given me feedback so far. I had this idea that I'd upload one shortish chapter every couple of days for a little sexy Valentine's Day story. And then yesterday I wrote 3700 words. So I uploaded the first bit as Chapter Two, and it seems silly to hold off on uploading 3 since it's good to go...although arguably it could really be 3 and 4 because of the setting changes. 
> 
> So I don't know if you all would prefer short sweet chapters around 1000 words each daily or even more frequently or longer chapters around 2000 words less frequently. 
> 
> Or if it even matters as long as Willie and Alex get some sweet tender cuddles and sexy time on a regular basis. So having uploaded a long chapter yesterday, I'll upload two shorter ones today, and if anyone has a preference for one over the other, please let me know!

Late that night, Willie was no closer to a conclusion than he had been earlier. Well, he had concluded ONE thing. It was past time for him to find a nicer place to haunt. The outdated back office in the half empty strip mall looked like something out of a 1970s advertisement for pest control, A romantic place to invite a date it certainly was not. 

Willie’s dad had always been a big believer in lists. He and Willie shared just a little bit of mental chaos...not ADD level chaos, just bright, busy minds that often followed many tracks at the same time. Willie generally worked through it by keeping moving...most often on his board. While muscle memory took him through flips and jumps, his active mind stopped doing things like turning license plates into math problems, and was able to focus on the issue most on his mind. But when he really needed to think something through step by step, he still reached for a pen and paper. It seldom failed him. 

Except, apparently, when it was really important.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t think of things he’d like to do with Alex. He was pretty sure that Alex hadn’t tested some of his limits like Willie had. His first list had been places they could go.

_ Athens _

_ Kyoto  _

_ Rotorua _

_ Lanai _

_ Paris _

But of course, poofing to another continent would pretty much guarantee Caleb’s attention, if Covington was still tracking Willie at all. So much for list one.

So they could stay local. Do something in LA or not too far outside it. But nothing he came up with was sending the message he wanted.

_ Museum (did that for our first date and several times since) _

_ Hollywood Sign (cheesy and obvious) _

_ Live music? (he’s in a BAND for pete’s sake, Willie! May as well try to take Wolfgang Puck out for a great pizza) _

_ Disneyland (surprisingly fun as a ghost as long as you managed to dodge people sitting on you all the time...but not right) _

_ Dancing?  _

Possible. Willie’s pen hovered over dancing for a moment. Then he flashed back to the first time he’d seen Alex dance...at the Hollywood Ghost Club...when Caleb made him leave...and Alex got stamped. Yeah, no.

And these were really too public anyway. Caleb had connections everywhere...among ghosts and lifers both. During a short, ill-advised fling with Dante, Caleb used to have several local hotel employees pull up empty rooms in their database for Dante and Willie to share for an evening. Caleb, able to eat and make himself and his companions visible at will, was very very well connected in the LA hospitality community. 

Willie neither used nor had money, so buying Alex something was out of the question. And they were both well past the age when acquiring something via “five finger discount” was considered cute and rebellious. If Willie knew Alex at ALL, anything Willie got him through less than honest methods would make him terribly uncomfortable.

Willie looked at the sole remaining item on list two: 

_ Surfing _

It was actually a great idea. The empty store Willie had taken up haunting when he realized he shouldn’t stay in his room at the HGC anymore had last been occupied by a Sand N Surf outlet. He had everything he needed to teach Alex to surf if the drummer didn’t already know, and it would be fun and interactive and even romantic…

And, like a lot of their other activities, could be interpreted as falling strictly into the flirty friends who also fool around category. It would be a great date, and Willie filed that away for the future, but that was NOT the message he was trying to send on February fourteenth. He couldn’t know when Caleb might reappear and end Willie and Alex’s relationship...or just end Willie or Alex or both...and Willie needed Alex to know how he felt. How when Alex was around Willie thought in cliches and poetry and dreamed of futures that couldn’t happen but were too sweet to stop dreaming of. 

As he crumpled list two, Willie thought maybe he could put something down on paper that would TELL Alex how he felt. Words had never been his particular gift, but he’d never had an Alex to inspire him before either.

So for the next twelve hours, Willie tried writing a song. Then, a poem. A heartfelt letter. A haiku. He would have even settled for a limerick if it had expressed his feelings adequately.

He gave it up as hopeless when he tried to rhyme “feel like I’m flying” and kept coming up with “dying,” “crying,” “lying,” and “spying.”

When he finally looked up at the old clock someone had left on the wall, Willie gasped. He and Alex had an appointment to meet at the UCLA campus library...thirty minutes ago.  _ Damnit, Willie! Nothing says, please be mine forever, like showing up 30 minutes late to a date right after your first kiss. You are SUCH a bonehead. _

Running his fingers through his hair, slipping into his purple button-down shirt, and grabbing his board, Willie poofed out as fast as he could.


	4. Lovin' A Music Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Willie meet up for the first time since they've kissed, but Willie is late.

_And lovin' a music man_   
_Ain't always what it's supposed to be_

Alex sat on the lawn bench feeling invisible. Which was only reinforced when a middle aged lifer plopped down right on top of him.

 _Seriously, guy? Come ON._ Alex poofed to the other end of the bench.

  
It was actually pretty uncommon for Alex to get sat on. Most lifers seemed to instinctively avoid sitting down on or walking through spirits when there was an easy alternative. Even though they couldn’t see them, it was as if at some level they were aware that the space was already occupied. Reggie and Luke occasionally entertained themselves by riding buses and watching the living people choose every available seat except the one that they were in, and then, looking annoyed, choose to share a seat with another living rider rather than sitting on the ghosts.

Except for Mr. orange tan and blue Dodgers cap, who apparently was lacking some extra perception that science hasn’t identified yet.

Or maybe the difference was in Alex, himself. He had arrived at their meeting spot fifteen minutes early...to no Willie. As the time marched on and Willie didn’t appear, he started to hunch over in place, feeling smaller and smaller. When the campus bells started ringing out their noon melody, Alex wondered if he should be worried. It wasn’t as though he and Willie hadn’t pushed their caution to the limits yesterday with their extended beach makeout session. Any of Caleb’s loyalist ghosts could have outed them. 

Before Alex could have a panic attack over that possibility, though, a warm voice rang out. “Hot dog!” and Willie spun into existence. “Man, I am sorry. Time got completely away from me.” Dropping his skateboard next to the bench, Willie sat sideways on Alex’s lap, pressed a kiss to his cheek and pulled back, his velvet eyes betraying his attempt to act casual by silently begging Alex’s forgiveness. “We okay?” he asked softly. 

Alex leaned his forehead into Willie’s, pulling him close. “We’re okay,” he whispered, willing his eyes to speak for him and let Willie know that he meant it. Apparently it worked, because the tension humming through Willie’s posture evaporated, and the skateboarder pressed a kiss to his lips before nestling his cheek into Alex’s shoulder and threading the fingers of their right hands together. They sat quietly that way for a long time, Alex toying absently with Willie’s long locks of hair, Willie occasionally dropping tiny kisses on Alex’s collarbone...easily accessible through the collar of the pink hoodie Willie loved on him so much.

Alex really, really didn’t want to disturb the perfection of the moment, but he couldn’t quite erase the anxiety of wondering if Caleb had attacked Willie, and the realization that yesterday afternoon they had stopped being careful. He cleared his throat.

“Maybe we should find somewhere more...private?” His voice pitched up high on the last word as he heard himself making what sounded _Very Much Like a Pass, Alex._

Willie, though, took it in stride and didn’t try to make a big thing out of it. He just sprang to his feet, pulled Alex up with the hand he still held in his and said, “Sure, we’re pretty close to somewhere VERY private.”

Alex turned in a circle, trying to take it all in. They were in a cozy windowless room surrounded by keyboards and an organ and what looked like sound equipment...but sound equipment that would have already been decades old when Alex died in 1995.

“What IS this place?”

“We’re in the basement of Schoenberg Music Hall. This is where they play all the bell music that gets routed out over the library tower. It’s pretty much all pre-programmed and pre-recorded these days, though.”

Alex yearned to brush his fingers over the keys and hear what that translated to over the campus speakers, but, having secured some alone time with Willie, the last thing he needed was someone coming to investigate why the hourly bells were suddenly going off at 12:37. 

So instead, he smoothed his tousled hair out of his eyes and stepped up behind Willie, wrapping his arms around the other ghost’s waist. “Remind me to bring Luke and Julie by here some time,” he said, nibbling lightly at the intersection of Willie’s neck and shoulder. Very tentatively, he slid his thumbs into the waistband at the front of Willie’s shorts, slipping no more than a few centimeters under the fabric, just dipping in and out. Willie sighed and turned to face him, the sparkle in his eyes making Alex bolder still as he reached up and wrapped an arm around Alex’s neck. “I’ll remind you,” he murmured against his partner’s lips. “Later.”

*********

Much later, Willie laughed up at the expression on Alex’s face. The blond had called a halt a few minutes before, asking for a little more time before they carried things to a conclusion (though not before some very pleasurable semi-conclusions.) Which was more than fine with Willie. But he couldn’t resist teasing his lover a bit, so when Alex pulled himself up into a seated position, Willie mischievously slipped his head into Alex’s lap, nestled his cheek right against Alex’s length, and half-moaned, half-sighed happily into the thin fabric separating them.

“Jesus,” Alex breathed, although Willie couldn’t tell if he was swearing or praying. He peeked up and still wasn’t sure. Alex looked like he’d swallowed a frog. A live one. 

He didn’t want to do anything that would make Alex uncomfortable, though. “This okay?” he asked, emphasizing the pressure of his cheek. 

Alex laughed. “Sure, just hope you weren’t counting on much conversation. I’m pretty sure my brain just shut down. Completely.”

He was SO CUTE. Willie longed to swivel his head and press a damp kiss where his cheek was currently resting, but knew that Alex wasn’t quite ready for that today. So instead, he tried to distract them both. “You said you want to bring Luke and Julie here? Any special reason besides she’s your keyboardist?”

“Uh, yeah, actually,” Alex exhaled long and slowly, “they write most of our songs and I know Luke would love creating some of the bell music and getting it down for a demo or something.”

“Oh I never knew that,” Willie said, sitting up. 

“Yeah, well, I mean, we all contribute, but Luke’s always been the lyricist and the main writer. Julie is right there with him, though. She is crazy talented. About gave Luke a heart attack when he got a look at some of the stuff she was writing and then just sticking in a box and not doing anything with any of it…you going somewhere, Willie?”

Because Willie was slipping his arms back into his shirt sleeves and buttoning up. “Yeah, I just realized I need to run a quick errand. But before I go,” he grinned at Alex, “when can I see you again?” 

*********

They made plans for the next day and Willie vanished, but Alex felt a little uneasy. Willie came late and then dashed out early. And sure, they still had to be careful of Caleb, but Willie seemed perfectly content to stay with him at first, and only dashed off when he remembered his "errand." Which led to another question. How many important errands can you have as a ghost? Why the urgency?

Alex was getting the very distinct feeling that Willie wasn't telling him something.


	5. We All Need The Clowns To Make Us Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of you nailed it! Willie is trying to seek help creating a gift for Alex!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the late update. I had a couple of days in a row where I couldn't write anything I liked. I finally rewatched Episode 3 to get me back in the right mindset for Willie, and I think it worked. Let me know.

_Circus life_

_Under the big top world_

_We all need the clowns_

_To make us smile_

Luke’s eyes lit up and he let out a low whistle. “Whoa, Alex has been holding out on us. You guys taking it to the next level?”

“Let’s just say we’re finding our level,” Willie said, not wanting to speak for Alex or reveal something that his guy wasn’t ready for yet. “I know where I’m at with us, and I want to tell him.” He chuckled. “Except apparently I suck at words. I was hoping maybe you could help me out.”

“Yeah, um, hmm, about that,” Luke bit his lip and suddenly became very, very interested in a thread hanging from the bottom hem of his Rush shirt. “I think it’s, you know, really great that you and Alex are together and I couldn’t be any happier for both of you, but, um…” his voice kind of trailed off. His cheeks turned pink.

“Oh.” _Oh. OH!_ Willie got it. And Luke seemed to realize he got it.

“Trust me, it’s all **ancient** history but, I...just don’t think I’m the right one to help you write a song or a poem for Alex. It’s all a little,” unconsciously he mimicked Julie’s gesture from one of their early encounters, both hands forming circles in front of him “too weird.”

“Say no more, man,” Willie assured him, wishing that he’d poked a little more carefully into Alex’s relationships with his bandmates. Not that he was worried about Alex and Luke having a thing NOW. If anything, according to Alex, Luke was currently eating his heart out over Julie, the lifer that formed the fourth member of the band. Julie would probably have been happy to help Willie romance Alex. Unfortunately for Willie, though, **as** a lifer, she wouldn’t be able to see him or hear him. 

Luke still seemed to be tangled up in assuring Willie not to be upset over whatever past-Luke had done with past-Alex. “Just--”

Willie held up a hand to stop Luke before he had whatever the ghost equivalent of an aneurysm was. “Dude, we could not be any more chill. All that’s happened is my opinion of your taste has improved,” he winked. “And maybe Alex’s taste, too.”

“Well, in that case,” Luke folded Willie into a hug. “Welcome to the family!”

“Am I interrupting something?” a laughing girl’s voice floated in from the studio door. “Who are you hugging, Luke?” Willie turned around to see a lovely teenager in a lavender t-shirt and denim overalls. 

“It’s Willie!” Luke said, dropping his arms. “Wait, can you see him?”

The girl who had to be Julie shook her head. “No, and seeing you hugging air is...pretty funny. Does Alex know what you get up to with his bo--I mean--friend! His FRIEND when Alex isn’t around?”

Luke raised his brows at Julie. “Subtle, Julie, really, really subtle. With skills like that I’m surprised we lasted a week in your garage.”

Julie glared at him, then tried to smile at Willie...only to realize she had no idea where to look. “Okay, I have a new respect for what Flynn goes through now,” she remarked. “Willie, wherever you are, any friend of Alex’s is a friend of mine.”

“Willie needs help on a project, Julie,” Luke interjected. “I have maybe an idea, but...we can’t do it here. Can we use your bedroom when you’re in school?”

“What?!? My room? Luke, you know how I…”

It was then that Willie truly got an eyeful of the force that was Luke Patterson when the ghost wanted something. Luke took a couple of steps toward Julie, shoved his hands in his pockets, and tilted his head to the side so that he could somehow look **down** at Julie, who was much the shorter of the two, but still **up** through his curly eyelashes at her. “C’mon, Julie,” he half-whispered, half-muttered, “it’s kind of a Valentine’s Day present. For Alex. A surprise.”

Willie watched Julie’s bones turn to liquid. Her lips parted, her eyes softened, and her shoulders actually started to collapse inward before she regained enough control of her body to throw her hands up in the air and act exasperated. 

“For Alex,” she said firmly to Luke. “And for Willie. Not for you.” Willie was impressed with her recovery time. Not to mention her ability to keep the other boy off balance. Julie Molina(? Was that right?) was his kind of woman.

“Anyway, if you guys need some time now, Dad and I are going to Carlos’s baseball game. Willie,” she said, turning around in a circle as if trying to address the whole room, “there is a white decorated box on the shelf next to my bed. I’m counting on you to keep Mr. No Boundaries here OUT of it.” Then she smiled. “And be good to Alex. He’s the best.” With that she spun around and walked out of the room.

Luke just gazed after her, completely mesmerized. 

Willie patiently waited for Luke to recover himself. It wasn’t like he was in any position to throw stones.


	6. Wondering Where I Am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke may have a solution to Willie's problem. However, it's possible both of them are overlooking the forest thanks to all these pesky trees...
> 
> In other words, it's amazing to make Alex feel special on Valentine's Day...but maybe they should worry a little about how Alex is feeling Right Now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I play the clarinet. And a little piano. I have barely even held a guitar. So this chapter required a lot of internetting and youtubing...and who knows if I got any of the musical stuff right (thought for the day: writing fiction before the internet must have been unimaginably more work!) If any of you who are guitar-inclined have any tweaks or improvements, I would welcome them!
> 
> This may end up being one extra chapter, but I am committed to finishing it by the 14th...at least in MY time zone anyway. Thanks for your patience.

_ Through space and time _

_ Always another show _

_ Wondering where I am _

_ Lost without you _

“So, I had kind of an idea,” Luke offered, turning to Willie, who was trying very, very hard to look like he hadn’t noticed Luke staring, completely transfixed, after Julie’s retreating form long after the girl herself had vanished into her dad’s car.

He did file the image away for later sharing with Alex. Along with a separate image of Luke’s butt, just for himself. He might be madly in love with Alex, but he was also only dead, not blind.

“Here’s the thing,” Luke continued, “I can’t really write you something because of well, whatever, but I could help you learn to PLAY something for him.”

Willie didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but certainly not that. “I’m really NOT any kind of musician--” he objected.

“You don’t have to be, really. We’ve got a few days, we’ll pick something you like, I’ll show you enough to play a little guitar while you sing. It’ll be PERFECT. Alex will love it!”

“I really don’t think I can sing and play at the same time after just a couple of days…”

“Don’t worry about it, we’ll pick something where your voice carries the melody with just a few guitar chords...then you only have an intro and maybe a riff or two...and you won’t sing during those! It’ll be simple!”

Willie felt his resolve weakening.  _ It’s a great idea. It would be romantic and special and send just the right message. And Luke Patterson is extremely difficult to say “no” to. _

If only Willie didn’t have an idea that Luke’s idea of “simple” on guitar was going to be very, very different from Willie’s.

Overcome with his excitement at his own idea, Luke grabbed a guitar off of the studio wall. “Look, like say you wanted to play “Brown Eyed Girl”, you’d really only need just a few chords,” and he launched into the Van Morrison song...one that even Willie knew. As Luke spun into a circle, singing and playing, Willie realized the guitarist had just slipped into his own little world. Lost in his thoughts or making music or both, he wasn’t hearing anything Willie said any more.

It was really terribly sweet, but Willie couldn’t resist a giggle. If he played “Brown Eyed Girl” for Alex, the blue-eyed drummer would probably ask Willie who he was talking about! Still, Willie reminded himself, Luke was really trying to help him. He could resist smirking over Luke’s choice of this particular song as an example. He hoped. Sometimes he didn’t have quite as much control over his smirks as he probably should.

“Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-” Luke wailed-only to be interrupted by a whirl of silver...that materialized...into Alex! Luke broke off immediately, and pulled his hands off of the guitar like it was burning them. Fortunately, the shoulder strap prevented the instrument from crashing to the floor.

Alex flicked a quick, puzzled glance at his friend before transferring his stunned gaze to Willie. Of course, as far as Alex knew, Willie was supposed to be running a ghostly errand, not hanging out with guitarists in the band’s studio. Alex’s expression turned from shocked to concerned.

“Is something wrong, Willie? What are you doing here?”

Willie thought quickly. “Just, wanted to see if we could move our time tomorrow a little, like maybe an hour later?"

Alex looked puzzled. “Sure, no problem, but, um, Willie, are you sure it’s okay for you to be...here?” They had intentionally avoided the studio for their meetings, and not just for privacy, but because Caleb knew that it was a place linked to the band.

“Some things are worth a small risk,” Willie winked at him. “I should probably go, though, actually,” Willie said. “See you tomorrow, hot dog.”

“Um, Willie?” Alex started, then stopped. “Okay, yeah, see you tomorrow, I guess.”

“Hey Willie, man,” Luke called out, “Uh, if you go through the house, stay out of Julie’s room, the one with the pink bedspread and the white box! She kind of has a thing about it.”

“Got it, thanks Luke,” Willie gave him a wave, and poofed out, but not before he saw Alex turn toward Luke, an even more baffled expression on his face.

Alex raised his eyebrows at Luke. “What was that?”

Luke raised his eyebrows right back at Alex. “What was what?”

“If Willie goes through Julie’s room? WHY would he--you know what, never mind, it’s okay,” Alex said, clearly deciding he didn’t want to go into it. “So, uh, what else did Willie have to say?” wondering if now was going to be the time that Luke teased him about getting closer to Willie. 

But Alex’s oldest friend appeared to have something else on his mind. He was vibrating like a just-strummed string on one of his guitars, in that “can’t quite sit still” way he had, the forgotten six-string still hanging from his neck. When he started tapping his fingers loudly on the piano, Alex decided to speak up.

“Um, Luke?” What’s going on?” But Luke didn’t meet his eyes.

“Oh, nothing, nothing.” Luke muttered. “Hey, you know, I think Reggie was going to tag along to Carlos’s baseball game. I’d better go babysit and make sure that he doesn’t do anything ELSE to convince Ray his house is haunted.”

“Well, you know, I’ve been gone all day,” Alex started, “and I was thinking we might want to rework where we start the drum solo on--”

His voice trailed off. Luke Patterson, who leaked music from every pore, inhaled it with every breath, “lived” for it, “dreamed” of it (not that either of them did much living OR dreaming these days), who had been known to extend band practice by a couple of hours because he wasn’t happy with a single note on a single syllable, was barely paying attention to him.

“Yeah, can we do that later?” Luke suddenly broke into Alex’s train of thought. “I’d like Julie’s input on that too and I really need to get going!”

“You don’t even know--” Luke vanished, and Alex was left to frustratedly address an empty garage studio. “You don’t even know what song I wanted to work on…” he trailed off.


	7. Being Apart Ain't Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos makes plays. Willie and Luke make music. Alex makes noise.

_ And being apart ain’t easy  _

_ On this love affair _

Willie sat at the foot of Julie’s bed, kicking her trunk and waiting for Luke to pop in, hoping that it wouldn’t take too long. Willie wasn’t one of the ghosts who used his invisibility to constantly invade lifers’ intimate spaces, but in the thirty-five years since he’d died, he had given into curiosity and poked around a few times where he probably shouldn’t have (at least by the standards of people who were still alive.) Boredom was part of it, plus, for most ghosts, the longer they stayed dead, the less it felt like they had much in common with lifers. Especially lifers’ concerns over things they tried to keep secret. Ghosts didn’t tend to care much about the white lies, kinky sex lives, petty rivalries, and other questionable ways the living interact with each other. Or even the ones closer to outrageous than questionable...as long as no one was seriously hurt.

Nothing like dying to broaden one’s perspective on these things.

Still, it felt different when you sort of knew the person… and even more different when that person also knew YOU existed. And Julie’s room was not exactly the kind of place that Willie tended to feel comfortable anyway. It was all very...frilly. Pretty, though. Even cozy. Willie wondered if Julie could help him do something to his abandoned office space that would make it more welcoming. 

Of course, having Julie in his space could bring her to Caleb’s attention. Willie discarded that idea. He’d already brought his friends enough trouble without getting their lifer on Covington’s radar. 

“So, have you thought of which song you want yet?” A high energy voice asked eagerly from behind him. 

Experienced ghosts don’t tend to startle the way living people do...but to those who know what to look for, there are signs when you manage to take one completely by surprise. The foot Willie was kicking the trunk with suddenly went right through it...up to his ankle, as Willie lost his focus. THAT put him off-balance, and he almost fell completely off the bed. Which would have been a truly inglorious moment for the limber skateboarder. Fortunately he recovered.

“Yes, I’ve got one.”

Luke’s eyes lit up as Willie explained what he wanted. “Oh, that’s so doable. No problem at all.” He grabbed Julie’s laptop and started typing. “Just let me pull up a few things and we might want to change one or two words, but it’ll be great I swear…”

“Is Julie going to be okay with you using her laptop?” Willie asked. 

Luke shrugged. “Am I in her dream box?” He tilted his head and grinned, hazel eyes laughing. “I’m not. We’re fine.” 

*****

Alex decided to join the others at Carlos’s game. He was feeling a little blue, which was quite a letdown after the dizzying happiness of the past twenty-four hours. It was edging into late afternoon, and he didn’t want to sit alone in the dimming garage thinking when he could be laughing with Luke, Reg, and Julie. Even the thought of the hot dog Ray Molina always munched on between innings wasn’t enough to keep Alex away this time.

“Alex!” Reggie smiled happily. “Carlos’s team is actually winning! It’s been weeks!”

“Well, look at that,” Alex marvelled. “Good for them.” 

Julie glanced at her dad, saw that he was absorbed in trying to capture the current batter on film, and reached her right hand over to give Alex’s arm a squeeze. She didn’t speak or do anything that might alert her father, just gave him a warm smile that said she was glad he was here. Her curly hair blew around her in the warm breeze, the parents clustered all around them were chatting and laughing and exchanging hi-fives, and he could smell popcorn and tuna fish. Alex immediately felt much more cheerful. He leaned back on the cold metal bench, swung his legs, and glanced around. “Hey, where’s Luke?” he asked Reggie.

“Luke?” Reggie asked, looking puzzled, “he never comes to these games.” 

“He did today!” Julie suddenly blurted. “But then he had to go.”

This earned her looks from both Ray and Reggie.

“Mija? Who had to go?”

“Really? Where was I?”

“Sorry, Dad, just thinking out loud.” She gave Reggie a meaningful look before addressing her next comment to her father, obviously intending her words for both man and ghost. “I’ll explain everything later. Did you get the shot you wanted?”

While Reggie babbled happily in his left ear about Carlos’s two hits and the pop up fly ball he’d “almost” caught, Alex stared gloomily at his toes, wondering why suddenly he felt like important people around him were talking...past him. 

*****

A gifted musician, Luke certainly was. 

A gifted teacher, less so.

Still, after three hours, they had made...progress. Some. Not enough.

Willie sighed. “Maybe I should just make him a mixtape.” He smiled at Luke to show he was joking. 

Luke laughed and reached for the guitar Willie held out to him. “Even  **I** know that’s not a thing in 2020. Honestly, you’ll be great at this. We just need to make a little more time for it. What are you doing tomorrow during the day? Julie will be in school so we could have a solid eight hours to work on it.”

“Well, Alex and I were supposed to meet up, but I can reschedule, I guess. If you really don’t mind wasting all this time on this.”

“Not even a little bit! This is the hard part...time to power through it with all you’re worth! Here, you know what?” he scooted around until he was right next to Willie on the bed. “Take my guitar home with you tonight and just work on the introduction over and over. You don’t have to sing anything, just focus on getting the notes right. Follow my fingers, here’, and just here.” He carefully took Willie through the notes as he picked them out. “It’s not even twenty seconds. That’s your homework. Once you have that nailed, we can work on the rest of it and it will be super easy.”

*****

When Alex and Reggie poofed back into their studio after the game, it was dark outside, and there was still no sign of Luke. 

“Do you think he went to his parents?” 

“No, no Reggie, I really, really don’t.” Alex was so agitated he just walked out directly through the wall. Even after months of ghosting, he still tended to enter and exit rooms through the doorways….he just didn’t always bother to open the door. Not today. He stormed straight through the coffee table, the couch, and the wall behind it and found himself in the courtyard the Molinas had filled with plants. 

He picked up half a broken clay pot and hurled it against the side of the garage, where it shattered. That felt great. Incredible, in fact. Inspired, he smashed the other half of the pot, and then let out the loudest yell that he could. 

And his peripheral vision caught a lamp winking out in Julie’s bedroom window. Then, in a whirling blur, Luke was there, spinning in front of him “Hey, man, you okay?”

_ No, I’m not, and what the hell is going on _ … said Alex’s brain. Then he looked at his happy, outrageous, bouncing friend, the guy gazing at him with concern and affection and excitement.

“I’m fine now. What did you do today?” said Alex’s mouth. 

“Oh, you know, hung out. Played guitar, that kind of thing. Oh, and Willie was just here. He said he has to cancel tomorrow, but he can meet you at the beach now for a while. You going to head over there?”

Alex could barely believe where his thoughts were going. It was NOT possible. He felt physically ill at the very idea.  _ Luke and Willie? _

“Yes,” he answered briefly.  _ You don’t own either one of them. You’re all friends. In any case, there’s at least one question you can definitely answer.  _ “Yes, I’m heading out to the beach right now.”


	8. I Get The Joy Of Rediscovering You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex finds Willie at the beach.

_I get the joy_

_Of rediscovering you_

Alex found Willie sitting at the beach. In direct contrast to the blur of activity that usually characterized the skater, he sat nearly motionless, except for his left hand tracing tiny patterns in the sand as the ghost stared off into space. 

Willie had chosen an unusually secluded spot. In the distant darkness, Alex could hear a few lifers calling to each other as they prepared to go home, but otherwise it was silent, the night winds carrying the sound of the ocean away from them and making the small votive candles in front of Willie flicker. They were the only light, and Alex gasped a little as Willie turned his head...his profile staggeringly beautiful and yet somehow unearthly in the gentle radiance. _If I were a lifer and saw Willie like this, I’d still think he was a ghost._ Alex smiled. Somehow all the agitation and the insecurity and the frustration that had been simmering in him all evening was...no, not gone...but smoothed over...soothed by Willie’s presence. Being around him made Alex feel like someone had just wrapped a plushy blanket around his shoulders. _In addition to many other things..._

“Hey,” Alex finally spoke, almost feeling like he was intruding even though he had been invited. Willie was so clearly deeply in thought. But the other ghost’s reaction quickly ended that concern.

Willie leapt to his feet and wrapped his arms around Alex’s neck. “Thank you for coming, I needed you tonight.”

Whatever Alex had been expecting to hear, it certainly wasn’t that. Apart from dealings involving Caleb, Willie is always so self-assured. So knowledgeable. Born before Alex, died before Alex, ghost for longer than Alex, teaching Alex everything he knows about the ghost realm, helping him through his anxieties, risking his life to save Alex’s… Alex has always felt that he needs Willie in a way that Willie doesn’t--can’t--need Alex. Like he is always the one Willie has to try to protect and take care of. Hearing that reversed is...disconcerting...but in a good way. A wonderful way.

He rubs his arms in circles around Willie’s back. “Of cour--” Thud. His hand hits something solid and heavy. “What’s that?” He pokes his head over Willie’s shoulder. He stares, incredulous. “Is that LUKE’S GUITAR?”

Willie pulls back abruptly, and now Alex can see the telltale guitar strap cutting a diagonal stripe into his t-shirt. “Alex, can I ask you something?”

Alex’s voice has catapulted itself into that high range he hates so much. He can always hear it, but he can’t stop it. “I--asked you first. Why do you have Luke’s guitar?”

Willie shakes his head. “Totally fair. You asked first.” He raises his eyebrows at Alex. “Just this once, answer first anyway? I’ll even tell you the question. The question is: would you rather have a totally perfect gift at the perfect time on the perfect day and have it be a complete surprise? Or would you rather have something now that’s a little less perfect?”

Alex doesn’t have to think twice. “I hate surprises.”

“Okay.” Willie takes a deep breath. “Here’s the thing. I hate not getting to see you. And being late to see you. And canceling plans to see you.”

Alex isn’t sure exactly where this is going, but he’s starting to have a good feeling about this conversation. “Like plans for tomorrow?”

“Yes. So anyway, Sunday is Valentine’s Day and, well, just sit down, okay? And yes, this is Luke’s guitar. So I had all these plans, and well, we’re just not doing it. We’re doing it this way.”

Alex sits cross-legged on the sand, and Willie drops down facing him, pulls the guitar around, and badly, painfully, slowly, picks out what sounds like a riff. His entire face is scrunched up with effort, and he plays for all of fifteen seconds. Then he puts the guitar down and grabs Alex’s hand.

“So, funny story,” Willie chuckles. “I tried to learn a song that always makes me think of you to play for you on Sunday, but I’m terrible. And the only way to get less terrible by then is to give up all the things I love about being with you. So that’s what you get. You get fifteen seconds of song...but I’m hoping you’ll give me a little credit for all the hours I spent trying to learn those fifteen seconds. And now, I’m just going to tell you the rest.”

Alex hates to interrupt, but he does, “That sounds amazing, but do you have to do it from so far away?” 

Willie laughs, and they curl up on the beach together as the candles flicker, Willie spooning Alex and whispering into his ear.

_Highway run_

_Into the midnight sun_

_Wheels go round and round_

_You're on my mind._

**Alex runs his fingers lightly up and down Willie’s arm as he listens, telling himself he’s not going to cry.**

_Restless hearts_

_Sleep alone tonight_

_Sendin' all my love_

_Along the wire_

**Alex can't--quite--stop the tears from filling his eyes. Just a little bit. It's not like Willie can see him.**

_They say that the road_

_Ain't no place to start a family_

_Right down the line_

_It's been you and me_

_And lovin' a music man_

_Ain't always what it's supposed to be_

**It’s a lost cause. The drops in his eyes spill over, down Alex’s cheeks and onto Willie’s arm. So much for concealing his reactions from his boyfriend. A couple more tears slide down as he processes the word ‘boyfriend.” But, hey, he’s snuggling on a beach, wind in his hair, candles flickering in the night, wrapped up in the arms of an amazing ghost who is reciting him a love poem as a Valentine’s Day gift. So yeah, he’s going with “boyfriend.”**

**His boyfriend must feel the tears on his arm because he presses a kiss to Alex’s neck before he continues.**

_Oh, if you stand by me_

_I'm forever yours, faithfully._

**“May I go?” Alex whispers to Willie, who nods against his head. So Alex sings:**

_Circus life_

_Under the big top world_

_We all need the clowns_

_To make us smile_

_Through space and time_

_Always another show_

_Wondering where I am_

_Lost without you_

**And with Alex joining in, Willie feels comfortable enough to sing the last part with him instead of reciting it. He’s not really a singer. And it’s perfect.**

_And being apart ain't easy on this love affair_

_Two strangers learn to fall in love again_

_I get the joy_

_Of rediscovering you_

_Oh if you stand by me_

_I'm forever yours, faithfully._

After they finish, they just hold each other for a while. Finally, it’s Alex, always the overthinker, who breaks the silence. “You know, promising a ghost “forever” that’s a big promise. It even trumps “till death do us part.”

Willie pulls him even closer, if that’s possible. “What do you think I’ve been trying to tell you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. This wasn't an easy story to write. I, too, like Willie, wanted it to be perfect. And it wasn't. And it isn't. But, like Willie, it's what I had to give you all, and I hope you enjoy it and take it with the love I tried to put into it.


End file.
